We’re All Connected: Urban Gardening in Nashville

I’ve spent the last two and a half days on the farm -a blessed break from my office work. I love working outside. And there’s a calmness that the autumn weather brings- the reminder of change and potentiality. Each season brings with it a sense of renewal, especially autumn.

I recently visited Nashville Urban Harvest in Nashville, TN. Other than my experience at Beardsley, I’ve been out of the loop on the number of community gardens that exist. To my surprise, I found many other community gardens within Tennessee.  After doing a little research, I found Nashville Urban Harvest and decided to check it out.

Amanda, one of the committed volunteers, told me all about their garden as she drove us to its West Nashville location. I learned that Urban Harvest, like many community organizations, was started by a few people in the Nashville community with a passion for local food and saw community gardening as a necessity. The organization is run completely by volunteers and has about 20 CSA shares during the summer growing season. They  partner with Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee, Baptist Healing Trust, the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services,  and the Vanderbilt Children’s Health Improvement and Prevention Program to carry out the Veggie Project, which aims to address childhood obesity, food security and nutrition in underserved communities.

Through sharing our experiences in urban gardening, I found that our gardens had similar struggles and were going through similar growth spurts. The struggles: human-power, money, and connection with community members. Perhaps these are issues found in most community gardens. Though we have wonderful volunteers, we always need more. And money is always an issue. But, the one thing that seemed key in both of our growing pains was the need to reestablish our connections with the local community.

Just as the changing of seasons seemingly creeps up on us, the need for renewal lurks in the corner. Its presence becoming more obvious. My encounter with Amanda and Nashville Urban Harvest served as a reminder to welcome this need for renewal with collaborations of like-minded organizations. Networking with fellow gardeners is essential. We must learn from each other.

“If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It’s a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it’s time to reflect on what’s come before.”

-Mitchell Burgess

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